Deer Valley High Student Named Winner in Contra Costa County “Poetry Out Loud” Contest
Both students will be honored at Antioch City Council Meeting (2/23) and Antioch Unified School Board Meeting (2/24)

Cheryl Evans wins local competition that emphasizes language skill and public speaking; advances to the state finals in Sacramento on March 15

Cheryl Evans, a senior from Deer Valley High in Antioch, took first place in the Contra Costa County “Poetry Out Loud” competition on February 7.  Evans was one of thousands of students across the state to participate in the national recitation contest, a program run by the California Arts Council in the state and started by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to engage high-school students in the presentation of poetry through memorization and performance. Evans advances to the California state finals in Sacramento on March 15, 2010. At stake are hundreds of dollars on the state competition level and thousands at the national finals of Poetry Out Loud. 

Cheryl Evans gave stunning recitations along with a very competitive pool of finalists, including students from Delta Academy for the Performing Arts, Dougherty Valley, Independence High, Las Lomas High, Miramonte High, Monte Vista, Mt. Diablo High, Pittsburg High, Richmond High, Salesian High and Venture High.  Countywide, over 2000 students memorized a poem for the program this year.

In a close race, Second Place went to Jenni Lopez from Delta Academy for the Performing Arts, and Third Place to Abel Pineda from Richmond High.

“Young people interested in rap and slam contests can be surprisingly interested in classical poetry when it’s presented through the Poetry Out Loud competition,” said Muriel Johnson, Director of the California Arts Council. “We’ve seen students from all backgrounds and academic levels embrace this program wholeheartedly. It can change their lives.”

The Poetry Out Loud program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry: recitation and performance. Poetry Out Loud competitions start in the classroom, then at the school, region, state, and national finals, similar to the structure of the spelling bee. The national initiative is part of an attempt to bring literary arts to students, a critical need in U.S. schools, according to a 2004 NEA report Reading at Risk that found a dramatic decline in literary reading, especially among younger readers.

More information can be found at www.cac.ca.gov and www.poetryoutloud.org, and reporters interested in more information about the statewide program may contact California Arts Council communications director Mary Beth Barber at mbarber@cac.ca.gov or 916-322-6588.

Photos courtesy of AC5, Scott Belding: Upper Right, Cheryl Evans, Lower Left, Jenni Lopez